Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Ulysses

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Ulysses by James Joyce

11 reviews

hjb_128's review against another edition

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challenging relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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qstew's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

if beckett's "three novels" is like having a stroke over 400pgs, this is like a mushroom trip that won't end while a drunk cuckold tells you about their day. respect for the innovation and the effort put on to compose it; did it pay off thought? my answer will differ depending on the day i've had.

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timmytunter's review against another edition

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challenging funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Reading Ulysses has been one of the most challenging literary experiences I’ve undertaken, and while I respect its monumental place in the canon of Western literature, I must admit that I did not find it a particularly enjoyable experience as a whole. The novel is undeniably a landmark in terms of its innovative structure, vast creativity, and the sheer complexity of its construction. The variety of writing styles Joyce employs throughout the novel is impressive, showcasing his command over the English language in ways that few authors can match. The research and intellectual effort required to produce such a work must have been immense, and I deeply respect Joyce for his ambition and skill.

That said, my overall experience with Ulysses was marked more by frustration than pleasure. I found the content at times painfully dull, and at other times simply nauseating, with a plot that I found ponderous, trite, and tedious. As a modern parallel to Homer’s The Odyssey, Ulysses strikes me as the very opposite of its grand and epic predecessor. While I understand that Joyce’s intent was to present a more mundane, perhaps even trivial, version of the hero’s journey, I found myself questioning the purpose of this choice. The Odyssey has its own flaws, but it is still a gloriously epic adventure, full of drama and heroism. In contrast, Ulysses often left me wondering, “To what end?” But then, I suppose, what is the point of any art. This is a line of thought I don’t care to pursue any further at present, for fear of meandering off the primary object of the present book review into Joycean tangents and digressions.

However, not all was lost in this literary labyrinth. There were episodes where I did derive some enjoyment, especially when I allowed myself to step back and view the text through a more abstract lens. By metaphorically crossing my mind’s eye(s), I was able to appreciate the bizarre and often surreal nature of some of Joyce’s episodes.

One of the highlights for me was Episode 14: Oxen of the Sun. This episode, with its chronologically successive prose styles, mirrors the evolution of English writing from Chaucer to the present day. Though relatively useless as a means of advancing the plot, it was, with the aid of guides and resources, an entertaining trip through the history of the English language. Joyce’s self-confidence is on full display here as he demonstrates his proficiency in almost any writing style.

Another episode that stood out was Episode 17: Ithaca. Some of Joyce’s most beautiful prose can be found within these pages. This catechismic episode also frequently amused me with its laughably overzealous attention to detail. The passage narrating the simple act of boiling water, for instance, stretches into an absurdly complex description, as if Joyce were daring the reader to endure the tedium of such minutiae:

“What concomitant phenomenon took place in the vessel of liquid by the agency of fire?
The phenomenon of ebullition. Fanned by a constant updraught of ventilation between the kitchen and the chimneyflue, ignition was communicated from the faggots of precombustible fuel to polyhedral masses of bituminous coal, containing in compressed mineral form the foliated fossilised decidua of primeval forests which had in turn derived their vegetative existence from the sun, primal source of heat (radiant), transmitted through omnipresent luminiferous diathermanous ether. Heat (convected), a mode of motion developed by such combustion, was constantly and increasingly conveyed from the source of calorification to the liquid contained in the vessel, being radiated through the uneven unpolished dark surface of the metal iron, in part reflected, in part absorbed, in part transmitted, gradually raising the temperature of the water from normal to boiling point, a rise in temperature expressible as the result of an expenditure of 72 thermal units needed to raise 1 pound of water from 50° to 212° Fahrenheit.

What announced the accomplishment of this rise in temperature?
A double falciform ejection of water vapour from under the kettlelid at both sides simultaneously.

For what personal purpose could Bloom have applied the water so boiled?
To shave himself.”

In short, by penning Ulysses, James Joyce doled out the ultimate literary troll to casual reader and scholar alike.

Ulysses was a challenging read, one that I am pleased to have completed, but equally pleased to not revisit. The pleasure I usually derive from reading fiction was largely absent, as my engagement with Ulysses became a mostly academic exercise. While this is not an exercise I dislike per se, I look forward to returning to the comfort of slightly more conventional works of fiction.

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